FAQ

It's a mind-body practice that combines Western relaxation techniques with Eastern meditative practices. It includes gentle body movements, breathing exercises, elements of relaxation, meditation and positive guided imagery.

What makes sophrology unique is how comprehensive it is, being inspired by and including so many different modalities. It's also very accessible and easy to use. It doesn't take much time. It's adaptable so that it suits most physical conditions

The aim is to restore balance between body, mind and emotions. It's simple to learn, yet powerful and transformative.

Sophrology is very versatile and can help in many ways. The most common issues that it is used for are: stress, sleep, energy, confidence, concentration, emotions as well as focus, performance, and personal development.

If you're struggling with chronic fatigue, sophrology:

• Reduces stress and anxiety which are often triggers for flare ups and make fatigue worse
• Helps manage and improve energy levels
• Improves your sleep quality
• Teaches you coping skills so that you feel more in control
• Helps manage and relieve pain often associated with CFS/ME 
• Builds a positive mindset and emotional resilience
• Reduces ‘brain fog’
• Provides a path to becoming happier in yourself and in life.
• Allows you to feel more confident and positive about the future

Read my medical disclaimer for the few contra-indications.

All the exercises are gentle and easily adaptable to suit most physical conditions. If you have mobility issues you can do the exercises sitting down or have an extra chair to use as support. If you're bed-ridden with a flare you could imagine yourself doing the exercises without physically doing them.

I'll provide a safe environment in which you'll be allowed to do what's right for you so that you're always practicing in a comfortable way.

Typically, at the start of a session I will explain and demonstrate the exercises before guiding you through them. We usually practice sitting or standing with eyes closed. But you can also do the sessions with your eyes open if you’re uncomfortable closing them and even lying down.

At the end of the session I’ll invite you to discuss what you experienced if you’re happy to share it. It’s completely optional. I’ll also explain how you can start implementing the exercises in your daily life and make some suggestions for practicing before the next session.

Generally I provide audio recordings and handouts after most sessions to aid your personal training.

One-to-one sessions are the best way to get bespoke exercises that are specifically tailored to your needs.

Typically during our first session I’ll start by asking you a few personal questions to establish your needs and expectations. Based on this safe and confidential consultation I’ll design a session with a series of exercises to start improving the areas that you’d like to work on. 

After the session I’ll explain to you how to practice in between sessions and send you an audio recording of our session that you can use at home.

The initial session typically lasts 90 minutes. Follow-up sessions are usually one hour. 

Through our work together I’ll make sure to work at your pace and with the exercises that are working best for you.

Group sessions as delivered in the Ultimate Wellbeing Programme are not as tailored as individual sessions but they provide a safe environment for you to connect with a small group of like-minded women who also want to feel better and offer an opportunity to go onto that journey of transformation together with the support others who completely understand what you're going through.

Group sessions usually last one hour.

Sophrology can be practiced anywhere, anytime. It doesn’t require any particular clothing or equipment. 

The exercises can be learnt progressively and adapted to personal circumstances. You don’t need to have any prior knowledge or experience before starting practicing sophrology. 

The only requirement is to commit to the practice.

The benefits of sophrology are mainly experienced when you put it into practice. So the more you practice, the more you benefit. 

However you can start small and build it up. And if there are days when you forget, it’s ok.

I recommend working towards establishing a routine with a 10 to 15-min daily session and also using the exercises as stand alone as and when you need them through the day. 

Absolutely! Sophrology involves a dynamic form of relaxation. The sessions are not very long, usually about 20-25 minutes, and includes different types of exercises making it a varied practice that doesn’t require you to stand still into one position for a long time and simply remain with your thoughts.

You’re not alone. Here is the answer from Sarah, a participant in the Ultimate Wellbeing Programme:

“One aspect of sophrology I was a bit concerned about before starting was the use of visualisations. I had had mixed experiences with this in the past, as part of other therapeutic approaches. I thought I wasn't any good at visualisation, it wasn't something that came naturally to me, or that I could benefit from. I was also a bit intimidated in the first week when some of the other students were clearly having a much more visual time than me. However, this has really changed over the weeks I have been working with Audrey. One thing I have learnt is that some visualisations do really resonate with me, and that it's OK when others don't. I love that sophrology lets us choose the things that do work for us, and doesn't push us to do things that don't. The other thing I have come to appreciate is that "visualisation" isn't a very good term for what we actually do!  Some people are very visual - they can see things clearly in their imagination. I'm not necessarily one of those people -  however, we can use our other senses too. Even in the first week I realised that as well as seeing the colour orange I was getting a strong sense of the smell of orange zest. I've since found that visualisations that are more tactile really resonate with me - for example feeling the sun on my face or the sand under my feet as well as or instead of "seeing" a beach.  I've learnt to lean in to these other sensations, and not worry about what I can or can't "see". This has allowed me to relax into visualisation exercises, and really feel the benefit.”